Extensible cover for automobiles.



I. F. KING.

EXTENSIBLE COVER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I3, 1917.

' Patent-ed Apr. 1, 1919i Z SHEETS-SHEETI INVENTOR 0 Perczva'zn @MB WK3 ATTORNEYS me Noam; new m., mmmumo. wAsumcwN. u. c.

P. F. KING.v EXTENSIBLE COVER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' APPLICATION FILED .IU-NE I3, ISI?.

Patent-ed Ap. 1, 1919;

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IERCIVAL F. KING, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADAu y EXTENSIBLE COVER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

Application filed J' une 13, 1917. Serial No. 174,551.

To all whom t may concern.' Be it known that I, PERCIVAL F. KING, a

citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new land useful Improvements in Extensible Covers for Automobiles, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to an extensible canopy or top cover for an automobile or the like vehicle, and comprises the provision whereby the canopy and its supporting frame are retained within a suitable casing at the back of the vehicle and may at the will of the driver be projected upward from the back and thereafter extended forward and latched to the wind-shield.

The device comprises also the provision whereby the side curtain may be separately but similarly extended.

'The inventionv `is particularly described in the` following specification, reference being made tothe drawings by which it is accompanied. in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation on the plane 1-1 in Fig. 3 and in the direction of the arrow, of the frame which carries the canopy and side curtains at the back of the machine. showing the provision whereby the canopy supporting frame is elevated. as indicated bv dot and dash lines, to the required height above the body of the machine.

Fiq. 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 showing the supporting frame with its canopy as lifted and extended to the front end and connected to the wind-shield.

Fie. 3 is a plan and part section showing the canopv supporting frame as extended and connected to the wind-shield.

Fig. 4 is a part section showing the profile of the canopv and side curtain supports.

Fin. 5 is a part horizontal section showine' the side curtain rollers.

Fig. 6 shows to a reduced scale the applieation of the device to a car. and

Fig. 2'l is an enlarged detail ofthe latch bv which the front end'of the supporting frame is connected to the wind shield.

In these drawings l2 represents theback of the vehicle bodv` 3 being the wind-shield at the front end of the same. Pivotallv mounted on a commen center at 5 on the middle ofthe back of the body and in the lower part thereof, are two* levers 6,. one

canopy and side curtains and the extensible supporting frame by which the canopy is carried forward and latched to the windshield. It is elevated to the position from which the canopy is extended by lines 40 connected at 41 to the free end of the leversA 6, which lines are carried under the car to the front end tobe operable in any approved manner by the driver,

Slidably mounted on the top rail 9 of d the rectangular frame are members 17 on the underside of which members are mounted grooved rollers 18 which bear against a supplementary bar 19 secured to the frame to support the members 17 against rotation on the bar 9.

Pivotally connected at 20 to the upper side of the members l17 is a. system of lazytong levers 2l, the opposite end of which system is connected to members 22 which are endwise movable on a bar 23. To this bar 23 is secured a front rail 24 to which is attached the front end of the canopy 25, to be described later. after it passes over a rail 26 which supports it clear of the slidable members on the bar 23. Beyond the limit of movement of the slidable members 22 members 27 extend between the bar 23 and the front rail 24. which are designed to rest upon the upper edge of the windshield 3 and adiacent these members a latch 28 is mounted onthe bar 23 to ennac'e the front edge of the wind-shield and therebv.

connect the canopy support to the shield.

The canopy of any suitable light rain' 33 to the middle line pins of the lazy-tong lever system. These cross strips are curved downward at the ends, somewhat as shown in Fig. 4, to give the required watershed, and the downwardly turned ends are looped, asat 34, to provide supports for two flexible lines 35 between the ends of the back bar 9 and the front bar 23, between which lines the upper edge of each side curtain v36 passes.

To' support the canopy 25 clear of the slid- Iable members 17 of the lazy-tongs on the bar 9, a rod 87 is carried above that 'bar and is curved approximately to the curvature of the canopy support strips 32, and to facilitate movement of the canopy over this rod a series of rollers 38 are independently rotatable on it, the length of which rollers is reduced on the curved ends.

When the slidable frame 8, 9, 10 with its connected mechanism is lifted by the lines 40 to the required height above the body of the vehicle, the canopy and its supporting frame are held by the spring 29 of the canopy roller 30 at the backward limit of their movement, in which position the slidable members 17 of the lazy-tongs are at the outer limit of their movement on the bar 9.

Flexible lines 42 are independently connected to the inner side of each slidable member 17 by which these members may be drawn together to project the supporting frame toward the front end of the car, against the resistance of the spring roller, and to the outer side of each member 17 similar lines43 are connected by which these members may be drawn apart to retract the supporting frame, the spring of the roller, 30 winding the canopy itself upon the roller. These lines 42 and 48 pass over sheaves and along the underside of the car body to the front end, where a suitable mechanism is provided by which the extension or retraction of the canopy may be effected by the driver, which mechanism will preferably be operated from the self-starter of the engine.

To counteract the tension of the canopy 25 on the upper side of the lazy-tong canopy supporting frame, tending to distort that frame upward, two flexible tapes 46 are connected to the front end of the canopy frame and pass under that frame to be wound on -the roller 30 along with the canopy.

Rotatably mounted on vertical axes adjacent and parallel to each side 10 of the rectangular frame is a roller 47 having an internal coil spring 48. on which roller is wound a side curtain 36. Across the width of each side curtain a series of relatively rigid strips 49 are secured at intervals apart. The ends of these strips project slightly beyond the upper and lower edges ofthe curtain, the lower ends to run in a grooved track 5() which is carried along each side of thecar and across the doorsad-jacent the upper edgeof the body, andy thelzupperends pass between the two flexible lines 35 carried by the ends 34` of the canopy support. The spring of the roller 47 tends to wind its curtain and retain it at the inner limit of its movement, and the curtain may be drawn out by hand and secured at any desired position of extension by any suitable means.

The device provides a convenient and readily operable means for supporting and extending a canopy and side curtains from the back to thek front of an automobile or the like, and one which can be operated by the driver whether the'car is at rest orrunning.

Although the cover supporting frame is described and illustrated as extensible to the front end and latching to the wind-shield of the car, provision may obviously be made whereby it may be extendedk to shelter a por tion only of the seating accommodation of thecar.

I do not desire to be confined to the par? ticular construction of the several parts of the device, particularly as regards the back frame and its manner of elevation as the same may be modified without departing from the substance of the invention.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what I claim protected in by Let-V posed lazy-tong system of levers adapted to project over the top of the vehicle'and con nected at one end to' members which are slid-f able endwise on a. bar that is disposed horizontally across the rear of the vehicle, said lazy-tong levers at the other end having provision for connecting it to thewind shield, a flexible fabric wound on a rollerf mounted across the rear of the vehicle, the free end of the fabric being connected to the front end bar of the lazy-tong system, means operative on the lazy-tong levers for extending the same, means for retracting said levers, and means for winding` the lfabric on the roller as said lazy-tong levers are being retracted.

2. kAn extensible coverfor an automobile or the like, comprising a lazy-tong system of levers connected at one-end yto members slidable endwise on a bar across the rear of the vehicle and having lat the other end provision for connecting -it to the wind-shield, a cover supporting strip connected to eachl mid-pivot of the lazy-tong levers and extending across the width of the vehicle, ilexible lines connected to the end bars of the lazy-tong levers and passing throgh the ends of the supporting strips, la Hexible fabric wound on a roller mounted at the rear of thevehicle the free end of the fabric being connected to the front end bar of the lazy-v tong system Aofy levers, meansfor projecting the lazy-tong frames to the front end of the vehicle, means for securing it at that end, means for retracting the frame, and means for winding the cover on the roller as the frame is retracted.

3. An extensible cover for an automobile or the like, comprising in combination, a` frame connected to the rear of the vehicle body and susceptible of being lifted thereabove, two members slidably mounted to move endwise on the upper rail of the frame, a lazy-tong system of levers pivotally connected at one end to the members slidable on the bar, and at the other end pivotally connected to similar members slidable on a front bar, a spring-actuated roller rotatably mounted on the rear frame, a flexible cover wound on the roller the free end of the cover being connected to the front end bar of the lever system, means for simultaneously moving together the slidable members on the rear frame to project 4the front end bar, means for latching the front end bar to the wind-shield, and means for moving apart the slidable members to retract the front end bar.

4. An extensible cover for an automobile or the like, comprising in combination, an open rectangular frame vertically slidable in a casing secured to the after end of the body of the vehicle, a horizontally disposed extensible canopy supporting frame connected to the upper part of the slidable frame and susceptible of extension and attachment to the front end of the vehicle, a roller rotatably mounted in the upper part of the slidable frame, a flexible canopy mounted on the roller, the free end of which canopy is connectedto the outer end of the extensible frame, means for lifting the slidable frame, means for extending the supporting frame, means for retracting the supporting frame, and means forrolling the curtain on the roller as the supporting frame is retracted.

5. An extensible cover for an automobile or the like, comprising an extensible frame connected to the after part of the vehicle and susceptible of being extended and secured to the wind-shield, a flexible fabric cover wound on a spring-actuated roller, the free end of said cover passing over the upper side of the extension frame and attached to the front end of the same, and

flexible tapes wound on `the roller with the cover, the free ends of which tapes are connected below the extension frame to the outer end of the same.

6. An extensible cover for an automobile or the like, comprising an open rectangular frame vertically slidable in a casing secured to the after end Iof the body of the vehicle,

' levers pivotally mounted on the body at the rear of the vehicle and link-connected on each side to the lower part of the frame, by which levers the upper part of the frame may be projected above the body, an extensible supporting frame connected to the. upper part of the frame and susceptible of extension and attachment to the front end of the vehicle, a roller rotatably mounted in the slidable frame, a flexible cover mounted on the roller the free end of which cover is connected to the front end of the extensible frame, a spring-actuated roller rotatably mounted to turn on a vertical axis parallel and adjacent each side member of the slidable frame, side curtains mounted on these rollers, provision extending along the body supporting the lower edge of each curtain, and provision connected to the extensible supporting frame for supporting the upper edge of each curtain.

7. In a mechanism of the class described, a supporting standard, a bar across said standard, a lazy-tong lever, members slidable along said cross bar to which the adjacent extremities of said lazy-tong levers are pivoted, a guide rod disposed parallel to said cross bar, and engaged by said slide members to sustain said slide members with the lazy-tong levers in a horizontal position.

8. An extensible cover for automobiles and the like, comprising' a lazy-tong system of levers connected at one end to members slidable endwise on a bar horizontally disposed across the rear of the vehicle and having at the other end provision for connecting it to the wind shield, said slidable members having guide rollers, and a guide rail disposed parallelly to said cross bar and engaged by said rollers to sustain the lazy-tong levers in a horizontal position and a flexible fabric covering supported by the aforesaid structure.

In testimony whereof I affix ymy signature.

PERCIVAL F. KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

